This relates generally to imaging systems, and more particularly, to imaging systems with conformal image buffers.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones, cameras, and computers often include imaging systems that include digital image sensors for capturing images. Image sensors may be formed having a two-dimensional array of image pixels that convert incident photons (light) into electrical signals. Electronic devices often include displays for displaying captured image data.
In some devices, the imaging system may include a lens that provides a distorted image of a scene to the image sensor. For example, an imaging system with a wide angle lens may provide image of the scene that is warped near the edges of the imaging system's field-of-view. A user of this type of device may desire to display a de-warped version of the distorted image on the display.
In a conventional imaging system, each captured image is stored in an image buffer. Selected portions of the image data are then read from the image buffer when constructing a de-warped output image for display. Other portions of the stored image data are often not used in the output image. Providing sufficient storage for storing an entire input image can therefore be inefficient in compact imaging systems.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved imaging systems.